The UK is home to nearly 30,000 maintained schools, all of which will play a pivotal role in the fulfilment of the government’s Net Zero Strategy. With the effects of the climate crisis continuing to threaten how we live and work, making the built environment more sustainable is imperative. Dan Allison, divisional director of Net Zero Buildings (NZB), explores how schools can join the decarbonisation movement by investing in offsite construction to sustainably protect and expand their assets.
As the costs of energy and materials rise and the impact of carbon emissions increases in severity, it’s time for schools to consider more sustainable methods of extending their facilities. The DfE’s recent allocation of £450 million in funding to improve school buildings has provided an opportunity to achieve this by investing in offsite solutions that create high-quality, environmentally-friendly learning environments. Working flexibly with tight public sector budgets, offsite construction can reduce energy demands in a cost-effective way, offering a reliable investment for schools looking to protect and futureproof their facilities.
Choosing the right provider
The latest figures from the Department of Education (DEFRA) show that the UK produced almost 60 million tonnes of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste in 2020, the breakdown of which has contributed greatly to greenhouse gas emissions. For schools to meet both their own net zero targets as well as those of the government, it’s vital that less wasteful methods of construction are considered for future school buildings. Whilst this aim may seem daunting at first, a practical place to start would be to consider options which are both sustainable and financially agile.
Schools may wish to initially consider:
- Lean, clean and green technology
With the right contractor on board, schools can maximise their buildings’ energy efficiency by incorporating sustainable features, such as LED lighting or solar thermal heating into the build.
These should be a combination of lean, clean and green technologies that use less energy, utilise local energy sources and produce renewable energy for use either within the facility or to be sold back to the grid.
These technologies help schools to become more sustainable, lessening the impact of their new facilities and empowering them to facilitate the next generation of school buildings. In turn, such technologies give schools more freedom with their budgets by keeping energy costs to a minimum, providing an opportunity for schools to capitalise on the renewable energy they generate.
2. Supply chain
Once financial flexibility is secured, schools should aim to work with a building provider that will apply more sustainable practices to produce the facilities required, using ‘greener’ modern methods of construction. Companies that use offsite construction could be an ideal solution, due to the employment of lean manufacturing techniques. This involves the use of a precision-engineered system to eliminate wasted materials where possible. Net Zero Buildings (NZB) takes this one step further, turning the smallest of offcuts into biomass fuel and recycling non-combustible boards. These practices ensure zero waste goes to landfill and are key to helping schools cut down their footprints when procuring new facilities.
Schools can also improve their commitment to sustainability by choosing companies who make use of local suppliers and workforces to limit transport emissions. Doing so will ensure schools keep their carbon footprint to a minimum whilst supporting local businesses at the same time.
3. Financing
Before schools begin to consider the type of building they might want, it is important to explore flexibly-funded products that can be tailored to their specific requirements. This will ensure that financial constraints don’t obstruct the path to sustainability.
Flat rate contracts that enable funds to be spent over a set period are often ideal, particularly those that can cover all the design and construction costs or fund a large proportion of the project. This flexibility enables schools to receive the best facilities in a way that best suits their budgets.
4. Maintenance
Given the responsibility schools have to support present and future generations of students, it is paramount that facilities are kept to a high standard. Another advantage of offsite construction in this regard is the ability to carry out proactive and reactive maintenance throughout the building’s lifecycle.
This ensures schools and students can continue to flourish and grow in a quality environment. Choosing offsite solutions is therefore a way for schools to invest in protecting their assets, safe in the knowledge that new buildings will continue to perform in years to come.
Supporting education with offsite solutions
Traditional and offsite construction differ in several ways, but none more so than the sustainable benefits that offsite construction provides. Manufacturing building parts in a controlled, factory environment naturally reduces site activities such as vehicle and personnel movements, limiting the emissions generated. This ensures that the building’s embodied carbon – the emissions produced during the construction of a building – is limited, thereby reducing the school’s footprint through association.
The accuracy of offsite manufacturing additionally makes it easier to modify a building’s design and factor in multiple sustainable features that will boost energy efficiency. NZB is at the forefront of this; incorporating clean, lean and green technologies, such as solar panels, to decrease operational energy costs throughout a building’s life cycle.
Examples of these technologies for schools to consider include mixed mode ventilation, daylight and occupancy sensors, battery storage and green roofs. The combination of green technologies – eg solar panels with wind turbines powering intelligent lighting and heating systems – can result in such low operational carbon and so much renewable energy generation that the school uncovers a new revenue stream by uploading its surplus energy to the National Grid.
Offsite solutions can also ensure energy efficiency because buildings are thoughtfully designed to minimise thermal bridging and to be more airtight thanks to being manufactured to precise tolerances in a factory. Heavily insulating modular buildings also means heat loss is minimised so modular buildings inherently have lower U-values.
Enhancing the next generation of learning
As schools face pressures to comply with national net zero goals, the speed of the provision of modern learning environments becomes key, explaining why offsite construction is growing in popularity.
Ensuring that a construction partner understands how the spaces will be used for teaching and learning as well as how to optimise them sustainably, is crucial. It’s not just about a building; but also creating facilities that encourage happiness, good health and productivity for purposeful, high quality learning experiences.
The focus on zero carbon buildings will also help to inspire a dedication to sustainability amongst staff and students alike, as these environments provide current and future generations the opportunity to experience the benefits of energy efficiency first-hand.
To learn more about offsite construction and the application of clean, green and lean technologies, visit Net Zero Buildings.
